Mātaatua Wharenui
description: The building has a rectangular layout with a gable roof. At the front of the structure, there is a roofed porch-like area, with walls at the back and on the side, but only a small fence at the front. At the back of the porch, there is a door on the viewer’s left side, and a window on the right. Coming from the small fence in the front of the porch is a red beam that supports the roof, connecting to the roof at its peak. There are two sets of twin statues at opposing sides of the front facade, resembling somewhat of a totem pole with a large face below each statue. There are another two carvings that sit at either end of the supporting beam, one of a man (which is on the bottom) and one of a face (which sits at the top). The building is made of wood, with lots of brown colors, plenty of red accents along the borders and statues, and smaller details painted with white, black, and green. On the inside of the roof, there are squared off sections with raised beams decorated with white motifs. The outside of the roof is black in color. Along the inner side walls of the porch there also stands another four carved statues along each side and situated at the end of each of the raised beams from the roof. The building had played a religious purpose as a meeting ground for the Ngāti Awa tribe. The large roof provides shade for the porch, and the wood in which this structure was made was easily accessible. This building provokes a ritual movement as a sensory experience.
creator: Builder: Ngāti Awa (tribe)
source: Image 1: mataatua-wharenui-5.jpg (https://wanderlusters.com/mataatua-wharenui-the-house-that-came-home/)
source: Image 2: British Empire Exhibition, Wembley Stadium, 23 April 1924 (16963240130).jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/British_Empire_Exhibition%2C_Wembley_Stadium%2C_23_April_1924_%2816963240130%29.jpg)
date: 1875: Mātaatua Wharenui was built
date: 1879: Relocated to display the building in multiple locations
date: 2011: Returned to the place of its origin
contributor: Hannah Demory
language: Whakatāne, New Zealand
type: Religious